New Delhi: While the Congress party protested against the selection of Gorakhpur Gita publishing house for the Gandhi Peace Award by the central government, the BJP condemned it.
The Gandhi Peace Award has been conferred by the Central Government since 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi to those who have made outstanding contributions to social, economic and political change along Gandhian lines. Awarded irrespective of nationality, race, language, caste, religion or gender, the winners of the Gandhi Peace Prize will be awarded Rs 1 crore, a certificate of appreciation and an exquisite traditional handicraft or handloom item.
In a press release issued by the Union Ministry of Culture, it was stated, “Gita Publishing House, India’s leading publishing house operating in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Award for the year 2021. The selection committee headed by Prime Minister Modi has unanimously selected it.”
Jairam Ramesh, general secretary of media relations of the Congress party, strongly opposed this choice of the central government. He said it was like giving to Savarkar and Godse. In this regard, he posted on Twitter, “The Gita Publishing House, which is celebrating its centenary, has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Award. In the book written by Akshaya Mukul about this publishing house, it is written about the stormy relationship between the Gita Publishing House and Mahatma Gandhi, and how the publishing house fought with Gandhi on political, religious and social issues. “The fact that Gita Publishing House has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Award is really a travesty. It is like awarding Savarkar and Godse.”
Speaking to reporters about the matter, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rajya Sabha Member Manoj Kumar Jha said, “What is the contribution of Gita Publishing House to social and cultural progress? They have done good work. But what contribution have they made in bringing peace? There are factors to be considered while choosing the award. If you want to encourage them, you can give them as much money as you want, but don’t associate it with Gandhi’s name.”
Condemning Jairam Ramesh’s comments, Union Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said, “Hanuman Prasad Bothar, founder of Gita Publishing House, was a revolutionary arrested by the British. Govind Vallabh Pant recommended Bharat Ratna award to him. Kalyan, the first issue of Gita Publishing House, fought for Dalits to enter temples. .published books at affordable prices so that people could keep their faith and respect.
By its protest, the Congress stands against the core values of an inclusive society. The British Government considered the publication of the book by the Gita Publishing House as treason. Organizations such as the Popular Front of India oppose such expressions of Hinduism in modern India. In this, which side is the Congress? I would like to remind them that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose always kept the Bhagavad Gita with him.”
Commenting on this, former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The Congress party is a party of Maoist-minded people. We cannot expect anything from that party. It opposed the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. It opposed the triple talaq law. The Congress party’s opinion on the Geeta publication issue is shameful. “Condemn. Congress is a party with Maoist-minded people. They are also Rahul Gandhi’s advisors,” he criticized.